Improvement in watches



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

0. II. \VOOD\VORTII, OF (OFIEEVIIJIIIL MISSISSIPPI.

IMPROVEMENT IN NATCHES.

Specification forming, part of Letters Patent No. 29,210, dated July 17. 1880.

T0 [LZZ whom it may concern.-

Coffeeville, in the county of Yalabusha and State of Mississippi, have invented a new and useful Improvement in IVatches and other projects through the front A, and cemented Be 1t known that I, 0. II. OODWORTH, of i to the said band to make an air-tight joint therewith. The principal plate ll ofthemove ment is fitted snugly into the band I), and se- Time-Keepers; and I do hereby declare that i the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a back view of a watch constructed according to my invention, with part of the cap broken away to expose the movement to view. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

My invention consists in inelosing the movement of a watch or other time-keeper within a case which is permanently air-tight not only during the ordinary runnin of the movement, but while it is being wound up or regulated or having its hands set.

The principal object. of the invention is to exclude dust from the movement, but by pro ducing a vacuum within the movement I am also enabled to prevent the oil used for lubrication becoming dry or gummy.

i To enable others skilled in the art. to apply my invention to use, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the drawings.

D E F G is the air-tight ease in which the movement is inclosed, made separate from the outer case, A B C, to the interior of which it cured therein by screws 1) (I, which are countersunk in the said band and screwed into tapped holes in the margin of the plate, the said screws bein fitted air-tight to their holes in the band or made air-tight by the use of suitable cement. The air-tight case is secured up to be performed in the usual manner 1 is fitted. This inner case, D E F G, consists of a band, D, or ring of metal of a depth equal to the thickness of the movement, having solplate, E, which takes the place of the cap of an ordinary watch, and having fitted to it a ring, F, to which is fitted the glass G, corresponding with the ordinary watch-glass, The band or ring D is fitted to the annular porin the annular portion A of the outer case by small buttons 1' l, which are attached to the frontof the said annular portion, and which turn into notches in the band I). 'Ihesebuttons are turned into the notches before the ring F is put on.

c is the winding-post, reached by a hole, (I, in the plate E in the usual manner. The entrance of air to the movement by this hole (I is prevented by the following means: To the bridge I, which contains one of the bearings of the said post, a metal socket, .I. attached by screws 0 c, said socket being titted with a packing-ring,j, oi indiarubber, which fits tightly around the post close to the click-wheel 71, and having another packing-ring of indiarubber, 5 interposed between its outer end and the interior of the plate E in such a manner as to surround the hole I]. The latter ring is cemented to the interior of the plate E. The two ringsol' india-rnbber elt'ectually exclude any air, but yet permit the winding iy the application of the key.

'1' is what I call a setting-post, for setting the hands of the watch, fitted to work in a cock, K, and fitted with a socket, Ii, packed dered to or made in the same piece with it a with rings of imlia-rubber,j is, in a precisely similar manner to the socket .I of the windto the said post.

tion A of the outer case, into which it is inl serted from. the back before the ring I (1011- 1 taining the glass is put on, and is provided with a shoulder, a, to fit against the said portion A and prevent it slipping through. The glass is cemented into the ring F with shellac or other suitable cement, and the said ring is 5 fitted onto portion of the band I) which This setting-post, which is arranged at a short distance from the central arbor or cannon-pinion, 12, ot' the watch, has fast upon it a toothed wheel, m, which gears with a wheel, that is fitted loosely to the arbor )1, but which carries a pawl, 1', held in contact with a ratchet-wheel, q, that is fast on the center square projecting through said arbor by a spring, vr, the said ratchet-wheel having its teeth set in such a direction as to work free of the pawl in the running of the watch. y turning the setting-post in the opposite direction to that in which the arbor it turns in the running of the watch the wheel p made to turn the wheel on and press the pawl '1' against a tooth of the ratchet-wheel q, and so to turn the arbor n and the hands forward. No opening is made in the case opposite the arbor n. The reason for. employing the setting-post and not applying the kc to the central arbor to set the hands is that the packing of the said arbor would be liable to produce too greatan obstruction to the running of thewateh.

s is a short arbor having a pivot fitted to a bearingin the cock L of the balance-sta ft, an d having its head fitted to a hole in the plate E. This arbor carries a crank, f,whicl1 enters a fork in the regulator-lever n, and by turning the said arbor by a screw-driver or other contrivance applied to the outer end of the head the regulator may be set. To prevent the entrance of air around the arbor s, a ring, u, of imilia-rubber, is cemented to the plate E, around the hole which receives the head of the said arbor, said ring being thick enough to be compressed between the plate E and the i hub of the crank i 1 To enable the principal portions of the movement to be examined without opening the airtight case, I provide aglazed opening or window, 1;, in the plate E, taking care to make a perfectly air-tight joint between the glass'and the metal with shellac or other suitable cement.

I do not confine mvself to the particular construction or mode of packing the air-tight ease herein described; but

\Yhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isp 1. Inclosing the movement of a watch or other time-keeper within a case which is permanently air-tight not only during the ordinary running of the movement, but while it is being wound up or regulated or having its hands set, as herein described.

2. The combination of the setting-post i, the toothed wheel m, the wheel 19, the pawl 'r, the spring" 20, and ratchet-wheel q, substantially as described, and for the purposes specified.

3. The arbor S, with its crank t, in connection with the forked regulating-lever to, substantially as described, and for the purpose 

